Legend of Zanian
by Nepezi. Kitten Extraordinaire
Summary: The tale of Zanian, the one who brought all of Hyrule together under one leader
1. Prologue

**Legend of Zanian**

**Prologue**

Zanian stood at the top of a hill, his dirty blonde hair blowing in the wind. Most of Hyrule behind him, the rising sun in front of him. Everyone knew the penalty of losing; slavery, if not death. Personally, Zanian would prefer death, and he knew most others would too. As Zanian watched the massive campsite begin to bustle with activity as people woke up, he couldn't help but wonder how he had managed to bring the entire kingdom together. As they prepared for the upcoming battle, Zanian noticed the Gorons holding the Deku up to protect them from being crushed, the Sheikah giving the Zoran some last minute tips on moving quickly on land and the humans giving most other races some pointers on using weapons effectively. Zanian turned back to the rising sun and saw blackness lining the horizon. His palm glowed and he turned into a wolf. He took in a deep breath and howled a long, powerful, threatening howl. This showed that his army should finish getting ready quickly and to show to the enemy that he knew he would not lose. The black line faltered before continuing to approach and expand. Zanian became human and smirked, knowing this would be a good fight. After his army finished preparing, Zanian saw the black mass and could make out the fact that it was shifting and changing, giving it the appearance of a black ocean. As the Hyrulians began moving, Zanian began to think back to the beginning, when, if told this story, he would have believed it to be a madman's tale and realized just how far he had come.

_Disclaimer: own nothing but the characters. The races, the kingdom, the wolfination, all of that belongs to Nintendo_


	2. Chapter 1

**Legend of Zanian**

**Chapter One**

Zanian awoke from his dream and yawned before laughing out loud at his dream. Children of wood, men of rock and fish-people, followed by blasts of the elements before ending with a dark army marching across the plains opposed by one man; himself. But then, he realised he had missed something and instantly stopped laughing, a ring on his dream self, but not just any ring; an engagement ring. But the fact that scared him was the fact that his dream self wasn't much older than he was now, maybe two, three years max. Zanian screamed and ran out of his tree-house, before realising he was in a tree. "Uh oh." Zanian said before falling on his butt.

"Are you okay?" asked a voice. Zanian looked up and saw a girl in a green dress, her blonde hair blowing in the wind.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Zanian said as he stood and brushed himself off.

"Good thing you didn't land on your head." the girl laughed.

"Yeah, that is a good thing," Zanian said. "Because then I might like you back." Zanian whispered to himself.

"What was that?" the girl asked.

"Nothing Teressa." Zanian said. "I need to go do something." Zanian said before running off. Teressa sighed as she watched Zanian disappear.

* * *

"Where you going in such a hurry?" asked a red-headed boy in a green tunic and shorts as he stopped Zanian.

"To see the Deku Tree." Zanian said.

"You can't see the Deku Tree unless you have the proper equipment." the boy said.

"Look Liro, I've kicked your ass, I've seen the Deku Tree before, both will happen unless you get out of the way." Zanian said. Liro moved out of the way before Zanian ran past.

* * *

"Great Deku Tree!" Zanian yelled as he reached the clearing where the great tree stood.

"Zanian, you seek advice on your dreams." a voice said.

"Yes." Zanian said.

"The time has come for you to leave the safety of the Kokiri Forest." the voice said.

"But why? I have no weapons or useful items." Zanian said.

"Follow the hidden river, to where the lake runs dry. There you will find the answer." the voice said.

"Hidden river? Where can I find it?" Zanian asked. But the voice didn't answer. Zanian turned around and walked back.

* * *

Zanian had decided to search for the hidden river in the lost woods. "Where could it be?" Zanian asked himself before seeing a sign. It had an arrow pointing to the right and said 'Hidden River, that-a-way'. "Seriously?" Zanian said before following the sign. Unfortunately, he soon lost track of where he was going. Before long, he somehow ended up back at the sign. "Oh crap!" Zanian yelled. Then he heard music emanating from deeper in the woods. He followed the music and ended up in a clearing where a strange creature stood atop a tree stump, playing a flute. "Excuse me." Zanian said. The creature turned to face him and Zanian saw that it was made of wood. It gave him a quizzical look before jumping down to the ground and sniffing him. It then jumped back onto its stump and sat down, not taking its gaze off Zanian for a moment.

"Do you know where I could find the hidden river?" Zanian asked. The creature pointed down a faded pathway to its left. "Okay, thanks." Zanian said before he started to walk towards the path. The creature jumped over him and landed in front of him.

"You can't leave." it said.

"Why not?" Zanian asked.

"You must play a game with me." the creature said.

"Okay then." Zanian said with a shrug.

"I'll hide and you have to find me after ten seconds." the creature said.

"Okay." Zanian said before covering his eyes. "One, two..." Zanian counted to ten before opening his eyes. He looked around the clearing but the creature had disappeared. He considered just leaving but realised that something that could jump the whole clearing and disappear would probably be able to hunt him down. He searched around a bit more before he heard a quiet humming. He followed it and found the creature humming happily in a tree. "Found you." Zanian said. The creature freaked out and jumped over to the other side of the clearing. It started shooting Deku Nuts through its flute. Zanian ran down the path the creature told him to but the Deku Nuts just kept coming. He emerged in a clearing where a river ran down deeper into the woods just as the Deku Nuts stopped hitting him. Zanian looked back but couldn't see anything. He followed the river and went deeper and deeper, occasionally being forced to jump into the river to avoid trees. Before long, the river just stopped. "The river's run dry, where's that answer?" Zanian asked himself as he walked a bit further. He emerged in another clearing and saw a sword embedded in a stone. "Ooh, shiny." Zanian said as he walked over to the sword. He grabbed the hilt and yanked the sword, but it didn't budge. He put his feet on both sides of the sword and pulled with all his might. Nothing happened. He stood beneath it tried to push it up but it stayed in place. He sighed and leaned against the sword, making it fall and slice straight through the stone. "Hm." Zanian hmmed. He pushed it over in the other direction and just pulled the stone apart letting the sword fall to the ground. Zanian picked the sword up and admired it. It had a sharp, orange blade and a guard designed like a claw reaching down to the pommel bearing a single diamond. The grip was made of a black metal and had a red wolf engraved upon it. "Awesome. From this moment on, I am Zanian, hero of the universe." Zanian said loudly.

"Well Zanian," said the creature as it appeared in the trees. "We never finished that game of Hide and Seek. And I brought along some friends." it said as several puppet-like creatures appeared.

"First, I need to learn how to use a sword." Zanian said to himself before running away. He eventually reached a doorway blocked by rocks. He gasped for air and looked behind himself. When nothing emerged from the trees, he relaxed. Then he heard music coming from deep in the woods. "No." Zanian said as he headed in the opposite direction. Zanian emerged from the Lost woods and walked back to his tree-house. "It's been a long day." he sighed as he crawled into bed. "But tomorrow, I'm getting out of here." he said as he drifted off into dream land.

* * *

The next morning, Zanian awoke and felt a bit strange. He tried to climb out of bed but realised something was very wrong. Then the entire Kokiri forest was filled with a horrified howl.

_Disclaimer: characters are mine, Kokiri forest and Lost Woods are not, or the Kokiri's, or the Skull Kid, or the Puppets, the sword's mine, the references are not mine, unless you've never played a Legend of Zelda game before, you would know they are Deku people, Gorons and Zoras respectively_

_(A/N) I don't know if I'm using Twilight Princess or Orcarina of time style, I think I'm combining them, I used OoT Skull Kid but I know TP better, so I'll combine them, with older Skull Kids using TP style and younger ones using OoT style, I'll use TP hyrule field, but, eh you can figure it out from my descriptions, obviously I'm using OoT Kokiri Forest, if you thought I'd be using TP Kokiri Forest, then why are you reading LoZ stories?_


	3. Chapter 2

**Legend of Zanian**

**Chapter Two**

Teressa had heard the howl as she was heading towards Zanian's home. She started running towards the tree-house to make sure Zanian was okay. Teressa climbed the ladder and opened the door. "Zanian! Are you-" she started before she saw the wolf standing uneasily in the middle of the room. Then she screamed and ran out.

"Teressa wait!" Zanian called. But it just made her scream louder.

"She can't understand you." a voice said. Zanian turned to the voice to see a squirrel standing on the window sill.

"Why not?" Zanian asked.

"Have you seen yourself? You're a wolf. Everything you say comes out as growls, howls and barks, or whimpers if you're hurt." the squirrel explained.

"Why am I a wolf?" Zanian asked.

"I'd say it has something to do with that Skull Kid you saw the other day." the squirrel said.

"That what I saw the other day?" Zanian asked.

"Skull Kid. When kids get lost in the Lost Woods they become Skull Kids." the squirrel said.

"So somehow that thing that tried to kill me turned me into an animal?" Zanian asked.

"Yeah, they're magic you know, or cursed, whichever you prefer." the squirrel said.

"So, I kick the Skull Kid's butt and he turns me back to normal?" Zanian asked.

"Well, you'll probably have to kill him." the squirrel said. "And they can disappear into thin air." he added.

"I think I know what I can do." Zanian said.

* * *

Zanian walked into the clearing where he first found the Skull Kid and sat. He waited and waited until he could hear music coming closer and closer. The Skull Kid jumped out of the trees onto his stump and was surprised to see Zanian. "Zanian, you have returned." the Skull Kid said happily.

"Yes, and I challenge you to a game of hide and seek." Zanian said. The Skull Kid's face lit up with joy.

"Okay, but the rules will be different this time. When I find you, you have to beat my friends." the Skull Kid said.

"Deal." Zanian said before closing his eyes and counting to ten. He opened his eyes and picked up the Skull Kid's scent with his sensitive nose. He followed the scent to a tree where the Skull Kid sat humming again. Zanian jumped up and bit the Skull Kid. The Skull Kid jumped onto his stump with a smile on his wooden face.

"My turn." the Skull Kid said before closing his eyes and counting to ten. He opened his eyes and instantly saw Zanian's tail sticking out from behind a tree. He jumped over and yanked Zanian from his hiding spot, sending him soaring across the clearing. Then three of the puppets appeared around Zanian. He bit the closest one's head off but the other two charged him at once. Zanian jumped at one and kicked off, shooting himself straight at the other one, taking its head off. The last puppet flew at him but Zanian simply stepped out of the way and let it crush itself against a tree. Zanian smirked at the Skull Kid before closing his eyes and counting to ten. He opened his eyes and once again followed the Skull Kid's scent to a small bush. Zanian looked into the bush and saw the Skull Kid sitting there, staring off into the distance. Zanian bit him and heard the wood starting to split. The Skull Kid jumped onto his stump and started counting to ten. He opened his eyes and quickly ran over to a tree. He jumped up and grabbed Zanian's tail and again threw him across the clearing. This time five puppets appeared. Zanian dove below one and grabbed its foot with his teeth and threw it into another, killing both. The last three rushed him as one. He tackled the middle one tearing it in half before throwing both halves at the last two puppets. He then ripped one's head off and crushed the other's. He almost laughed at the Skull Kid before closing his eyes. The Skull Kid smiled back at Zanian before realising that if Zanian found him again, he would die. The Skull Kid panicked and disappeared into thin air. Zanian opened his eyes and followed the Skull Kid's scent, feeling confident. But when he realised how far away the Skull Kid had gone, he started running. After about ten minutes, Zanian emerged from the woods and stopped on the edge of Hyrule Field.

"That's big." Zanian said before seeing a small figure sprinting across the field towards the castle. "How could anything move that fast?" Zanian asked himself before continuing to chase the Skull Kid as the sun was setting.

* * *

Zanian had almost caught up with the Skull Kid when it reached Castle Town just as the sun disappeared below the horizon. The Skull Kid had stopped just past the drawbridge and stood there, smiling at Zanian. Zanian smirked but his smirk soon disappeared when he realised the drawbridge was being raised. Zanian put on a burst of speed and leaped, just managing to dig his claws into the wood before it left his reach. Zanian sighed in relief before he felt the top of the gateway pushing his paws off the end of the drawbridge. He tried to pull himself up but he was pushed off the edge before he could actually do anything. "Din damn it!" Zanian yelled as he fell towards the moat. He hit the water with a splash and started floating along with the water. "Wonder where this goes." Zanian said as he floated away. Zanian eventually came to a small courtyard behind the castle. He dragged himself out of the water and shook his fur. "Been a canine for a day and I'm already shaking myself." Zanian commented. He walked over towards the castle when he realised a large stone stood near the doorway. He walked over to the stone and observed it. It appeared to be covered in moss and had an eye in the middle with a hole in place of the pupil. Three triangle rested on top of the eye and what looked like a tear hung from the bottom. He started to walk away before he heard a sound coming from the stone. He walked back to it and listened. It sounded like a howling wolf. When it started again, Zanian howled along with it. He continued to howl along with it as he closed his eyes, but then another howling joined with his. Zanian opened his eyes and saw that he sat on the edge of a tall cliff, across from him, a golden wolf was also howling on another cliff. When they finished howling Zanian tried to talk to the golden wolf but it jumped off the cliff. Zanian blinked and he was back in the courtyard. Zanian looked around before noticing the golden wolf was standing opposite him. Suddenly, they were in a white area. Zanian looked around before realising that he felt taller. He felt himself, realising he was a human again. He looked back at the wolf to see a skeleton wearing armour covered in moss and carrying a sword and shield. "Who are you?" Zanian asked.

"My name is unimportant, but you may refer to me as Hero's Shade." the skeleton said.

"I'll just call you Shade." Zanian said.

"Do you know why I brought you here?" Shade asked.

"To teach me magical hidden skills so I can banish a horrible evil from the land of Hyrule?" Zanian asked.

"Exactly." Shade said.

"Wait what? I was just kidding around." Zanian said

"Kidding or not, that's why you're here." Shade said.

"And I suppose the final skill is combining all the elements into a final devastating blow that should only be used against a terrible evil in the final showdown between good and evil." Zanian said.

"What you will learn now and what you will learn later are two very different things." Shade said.

"Alright, what's the first magical skill of awesomeness?" Zanian asked.

"The ending blow." Shade said. "I will attack you and you must dodge and knock me down, then strike the final blow with a down thrust preceded by a bounding leap." Shade said.

"What?" Zanian asked.

"Now!" Shade said as he attacked Zanian.

"I don't even know how to use a sword!" Zanian cried as he cowered behind his blade. Shade stopped and sighed.

"Then this first lesson shall teach you the art of swordsmanship." Shade said.

"So, I'll be able to use a sword?" Zanian asked.

"Exactly, although you will need to make sure you practise every chance you get." Shade said.

"Why?" Zanian asked.

"Because you're still a wolf." Shade said flatly.

"Oh, right, I knew that." Zanian said.

"First off is the form, would you say you rely more on speed or strength?" Shade asked.

"Strength." Zanian said instantly.

"Then hold your sword with both hands, to increase the force of the blow." Shade said. "Make sure that you stand slightly on an angle, so you can actually attack a charging enemy in the least amount of time possible." Zanian did as instructed. "Good, now stop my charge." Shade said before charging at Zanian. Zanian panicked and dove out of the way. "It would seem you have more speed than strength." Shade commented.

"I'm kinda used to running away from any real danger." Zanian admitted. Shade nodded and charged at Zanian without any warning. Zanian dove away again.

"Stop diving, simply side-step." Shade ordered. He charged for Zanian who jumped off to the side. "Side-step." Shade growled. Zanian tried to face Shade but could barely muster the courage to look him in the face. "Dodge my attack and strike my back." Shade ordered as he charged at Zanian. Zanian side-stepped and tried to strike Shade's back. But he miscalculated the distance and the weight of the sword and ended up flat on his face. "This is going to take a while." Shade sighed.

* * *

After a few hours, Zanian had mastered the side-step and had started learning the speed form. "It is time for me to go." Shade said.

"Come on, I almost got it." Zanian moaned.

"The sun is rising. You should go if you wish to catch the Skull Kid." Shade said before he started fading.

"Wait, how do you know about that?" Zanian asked as the surrounding area started going black.

* * *

Zanian awoke as a wolf outside Castle Town just as the drawbridge started lowering. Zanian sat patiently as the drawbridge reached his level, then he walked in. He walked into the town square before remembering people don't respond well to wolves. Everyone started throwing things at him or running and hiding in their homes. Zanian ran back the way he came and quickly entered a building near the entrance. He sighed in relief before looking around, he was in a dark shop with the only light coming from candles behind the counter where a strange being stood. He was covered in a red cloak and had a glowing red dot where his face should be. "Welcome to the Ghost Shop." the being said. "I see that you have quite the... unusual predicament." he added. Zanian just stayed in place, trying to gauge whether or not this person was a threat. "You search for the imp many know as a Skull Kid." he said. Zanian's ears perked up. "It made you this way and you seek revenge with the excuse of trying to turn back to normal." the being said. Zanian growled at them. "You say I'm wrong, that I don't know what I'm talking about, but I assure you, I know exactly what I'm talking about, for I am reading your mind at this very moment." the being said with amusement. "Destroying the imp will only prevent you from becoming normal. Its magic stays in effect even after it is killed, but after it is killed, it is much harder to combat its magic because it can no longer be stopped by the imp. But I'll make you a deal." the being said.

"What kind of deal?" Zanian asked.

"If you bring me ten Big Poes, I will tell you how to revert back to your human form. Well, more specifically, their souls." the being said.

"You're a soul hunter?" Zanian asked.

"Actually, I'm a ghost hunter." the being said.

"Who can understand wolves?" Zanian asked.

"I can read minds." the Ghost Hunter corrected.

"So what do these Big Poes look like?" Zanian asked.

"You'll know when you see one, they're big, they're fast and they carry lanterns, just from that you'll know one when you see it." the Ghost Hunter said.

"So why don't I just go get them now?" Zanian asked.

"They only come out at night and you can only see them when you use your heightened senses." the Ghost Hunter said.

"What do you mean, heightened senses?" Zanian asked.

"Your wolf form allows you to use heightened sense, enabling you to see ghosts and scents but it impairs your long range vision." the Ghost Hunter said.

"How do you know all this?" Zanian asked.

"Let's just say that my eye was opened a long time ago." the Ghost Hunter said.

"For now, I'll just hunt the Skull Kid and try and get him to undo this." Zanian said as he left the Ghost Shop.

"Goodbye Zanian." the Ghost Hunter said.

"Wait a minute, how does he know my name?" Zanian asked himself after the door closed.

_I don't own Shade or Ghost Hunter, they are the only canon characters appearing in this story probably, barely any places belong to me, the ones that do, hmm, hidden river and where the water runs dry, nowhere else yet, unless you count the giant field in the introduction but meh_


	4. Chapter 3

Zanian decided to sneak back into the main square of Castle Town. Before he had even taken a step, his sensitive ears picked up a strange sound. It sounded like a flute. Zanian sighed as he realised what this meant, but he still entered the town square. The Skull Kid sat atop a nearby building, a gleeful expression painted on his wooden face. The citizens of Castle Town, however. were dancing quite strangely to the Skull Kid's music; they appeared to be imitating the imp's common movements.

"Found you." Zanian said. The Skull Kid was shocked by the wolf's sudden appearance and started playing a different tune. The people acted as if they were puppets on strings and tried to attack Zanian. Time seemed to slow down as Shade appeared in wolf form.

"Howl the song we howled earlier." He instructed. Zanian remembered the notes and howled them, first once, then twice. The people of Castle Town started to falter. Zanian had howled the tune thrice and the people started to fall asleep. A fourth time, and only Zanian and the Skull Kid remained awake. "Every song you learn has a different effect." Shade said ominously as he faded away.

Zanian smirked as he looked at the splits in the Skull Kid's body. "Wow, seems like you have quite the _splitting_ headache."

The Skull Kid giggled like a child. "Well it seems like you're in quite a _hairy_ situation."  
Zanian growled. "Look, you change me back, and I won't have to kill you."

"If you kill me then you can't change back." The Skull Kid pointed out.

"And I'd rather remain as a wolf for the rest of my life as opposed to becoming friends with you." Zanian stated. "Besides, I know there is a way to change back without you, someone was so kind as to offer as long as I do something for them."

"Does it involve Big Poes?" The Skull Kid asked.

Zanian stiffened. "Thanks for the tip."

The Skull Kid was motionless. He suddenly appeared in front of Zanian and grabbed him by the snout, to prevent him from biting. "You idiot! You small-minded, foolish little idiot!"

Zanian growled threateningly.

"The Poes have a long-standing hatred of Stalcreatures. Skull Kids are from the same family as Stalcreatures, so their hatred extends to us." The Skull Kid explained. "There is a spell, well more of a ritual, which needs ten Big Poe souls, and it will wipe out all Stalcreatures in a mile radius. This spell will also wipe out Skull Kids. The Lost Woods are little over a mile wide."

Zanian broke the Skull Kid's grip, but did not attack. "So why haven't they tried this yet?"

"Poes cannot simply give up their souls, they also can't be hurt by each other or regular weapons." Skull Kid explained.

"So they haven't found anyone sympathetic to their cause who could actually do anything?"

"Oh but they have. But they made the mistake of entering the Lost Woods. They would have succeeded had their pawn not been so simple-minded, we Skull Kids lured him into the Woods, got him lost. Before long, the Stalfos who helped the Poes in his previous life now held ten of their souls."

"So what did you do with them?" Zanian asked.

"Shattered most, scattered the rest in the most confusing areas of the Woods." Skull Kid explained.

"And now, someone wants me to help the Poes by killing ten of them, so I can kill everything related to you?" Zanian asked.

"Exactly."

"But will this turn me back to normal?" Zanian asked.

"I don't know, but it will destroy the magic weaved by the Skull Kids on the Lost Woods. It used to be called the Found Woods, because no matter how much you meandered, you would always end up back on the path, now that the Skull Kids control it, staying on the path is more likely to get you lost than blindfolding yourself."

"I think I'll go with the Poes." Zanian said.

"You can't!" Zanian lunged at the Skull Kid who quickly disappeared and reappeared on top of a building.

"You can't tell me what to do." Zanian growled.

"I didn't want to have to do this, I thought we could truly be friends." The Skull Kid started playing a new tune on his flute, a dark, ominous melody. The ground around Zanian's paws started to shift and shake.

"What's going on?" Zanian demanded.

"This was a battlefield before the Hyrule family built a town here. I'm playing the Song of the Dead." Skull Kid paused to explain before continuing his song. Zanian backed up as a decaying hand reached out from the ground. The hand was followed by an arm, and another hand and arm. The two limbs lifted their owner from the ground, a horrific creature. It looked as if it had been buried for a few hundred years then decided it didn't enjoy being dead.

"What is that?" Zanian asked, struck by fear.

"A ReDead." The Skull Kid said, barely missing a note.

The ReDead's empty eye sockets seemed to focus on Zanian, its jaw slowly moved downwards, and it unleashed an ear-piercing screech. Not only was the sound horrifying in its own right, the sensitivity of Zanian's hearing made it feel like a red-hot bar of metal was being jammed in his ear. Then he noticed that more ReDeads were crawling out of the ground every minute, and once they stood up, they joined the first in screeching. Zanian howled in pain, the volume of which drained out the screeching to all but Zanian himself.

The howl was a signal to all within range, that he needed help.

* * *

"My lord, do you hear that?" A Hyrule guard asked. He was standing at the foot of the stairs leading to the throne, upon which sat the king, a proud man, he wore elegant, yet simple robes of various shades of green. Upon his face was a brown beard that exuded an air of wisdom and knowledge.

"Where is it coming from?" The king asked.

"Judging by the volume, wind direction, and direction from which the sound is originating, I'd say Castle Town, my lord." The guard responded.

"Send a squad there immediately." The king ordered.

"Are you sure that's wise, my lord? Surely a wolf that can howl that loud is more than ordinary."

"I know, but does it sound to you as if that wolf intends to cause harm?"

"No, my lord." The guard looked down.

"Exactly, now send a squad to investigate." The king ordered, he had remained calm and collected during the entire conversation.

"Yes, my lord." The guard hurried off to fulfil the king's command.

* * *

The wolf that was Zanian ceased his howling due to a lack of breath. He breathed in and tried to continue howling, but all he could muster was a quiet whimpering. Zanian collapsed from the combined effort of howling his lungs out and the screeching of the ReDeads. The ReDeads stopped screeching as their target collapsed. Zanian continued whimpering as the ReDeads started to approach him. Through the group, Zanian saw the castle roughly a mile away, the castle doors opened and a small group of shiny people exited. No, not shiny, they were wearing armour. Zanian closed his eyes, even if they were coming to help him, they wouldn't reach him in time.

"You can still leave here alive." The Skull Kid said, appearing by Zanian's head. The human turned wolf opened his eyes and glared at the Skull Kid. "Simply swear not to bring harm to me or my kin." The Skull Kid offered. "I will let you live, even turn you back. But if you try to harm a Skull Kid, you will be forcibly, and painfully, returned to your animal form and eaten alive by ReDeads."

Zanian snapped at the Skull Kid.

"Very well, have it your way." The Skull Kid said, jumping back. Zanian then realised how slow the ReDeads were. He attempted to crawl away, but his energy was depleted and he could barely move. The ReDeads continued inching towards him, as if the waiting wasn't torture enough, the ReDeads actually became tangled amongst each other and fell to the ground.

"The suspense is killing me!" The Skull Kid giggled. "Will he die of blood loss? Will a major organ be eaten? So many questions, so little time."

_I hope I die quickly._ Zanian thought.

A single ReDead managed to get back on its feet and it continued towards Zanian. After a few minutes, the ReDead finally reached him, it dropped to its hands and knees and moved its head towards his exposed stomach. At first Zanian thought the waiting would be the most painful part, but that first bite, the centuries year old teeth, black with age, sinking into his soft, furred flesh. The coldness of the earth penetrating the heat generated by the blood pumping through his veins. The exposure of his insides to the cool breeze, nothing could possibly be more painful than that first bite, and the fact that he could do nothing about it.

_Please Din, _The ReDead took a second bite of Zanian's flesh. _Let me die quickly,_ A third bite. _Put me out of my misery,_ The ReDead took a fourth bite, Zanian knew a few more bites would be all it took. _Remove me from this world._ Zanian waited for the fifth bite but it never came. He looked up to see an arrow protruding from the ReDead's head.

"Good shot, Eagle." A voice said.

"Do I have any others?" A feminine voice replied.

"Great shots." The ReDead with the arrow in its head stood and turned to face the newcomers. The other ReDeads had finally become untangled and also faced them. A squad of soldiers stood at the Northern entrance to the town square. The soldier at the front was clearly a woman, she released another arrow which hit the ReDead she had already hit, this one directly between the eye sockets.

"Like that?" She asked the soldier behind her.

"Exactly like that." He stepped forward and unsheathed his sword. "Right men, and woman, aim for the head, and keep your ears off the battle." He raised his sword to the sky. "For life, for justice, for Hyrule!"

"Hurrah!" The soldiers cheered before charging into battle with the reanimated corpses. Eagle, as she had been called, instead of charging into battle, climbed onto a nearby building and picked off ReDeads from above with her bow and arrows.

Zanian glanced around and realised that the Skull Kid had vanished, probably when the soldiers showed up. He looked back to see that in just a few seconds, the soldiers had halved the number of ReDeads. After half a minute of hacking, slashing and blood-spattering, the ReDeads had been killed again.

"Men! Make sure the people are okay, if any ReDeads are still moving, stop them!" The soldier who stood behind Eagle ordered. Zanian figured he was the captain. The Captain walked over to Zanian and looked over his wound. "Damn, well this mutt is screwed." He sighed. "Might as well put him out of his misery." He drew a hunting knife and raised it. Zanian whimpered and closed his eyes, knowing what was coming next.

"Don't you dare stab that wolf." Eagle said. Zanian opened his eyes to see the woman in question with an arrow drawn and prepared to release right into the back of the captain's head.

The captain dropped the knife and slowly stood up. Eagle relieved the tension on her bow by removing the arrow and returning it to the quiver on her back. She removed her helmet, revealing shining blue eyes and blond hair tied back in a ponytail. She pushed the captain out of the way and kneeled by Zanian's side.

"Can you understand me?" Zanian slowly nodded. Eagle pulled a face at the captain.

"So the mutt understands English, good for him." The captain said.

"Do you like being called 'mutt'?" Eagle asked. Zanian shook his head. "Do you hate it?" He nodded. "There you go." She smiled at the captain. "Are you the one who was howling a few minutes ago?"

_They heard that?_ Zanian thought to himself. He nodded.

"Are you feral?" The captain asked. Zanian shook his head. "Rabid?" Zanian shook his head. "Aggressive?" Zanian shook his head. The captain took a step towards Zanian, who growled at the man.

"I guess he just doesn't like you." Eagle laughed. The captain stepped backwards.

"Just because he knows what we say doesn't mean-"

"Can I keep him?" Eagle asked, interrupting the captain. "Please captain, pleeeease?" Eagle made puppy dog eyes as she hugged Zanian, who also made puppy dog eyes.

"Double team sir, can you handle it?" A soldier asked as he approached.

The captain scowled. "If he survives, fine."

"Yay! Thank you captain." Eagle smiled.

"Whatever."

Another soldier approached. "Such mental strength you have, sir."

"Shut up Grif." The captain growled.

"Permission to assault a fellow soldier, sir?" The first soldier asked.

"Permission granted, Simmons." The captain said.

Simmons hit Grif in the arm. "Ow! Why did I even sign up for this army? I don't like doing things."

"Let's get you back to the castle." Eagle said, ignoring the conversation between the captain, Grif and Simmons. She picked Zanian up, careful to avoid touching his wound. "Hey does anyone have medical supplies?"

"Grif?" The captain asked. He and Simmons looked at the soldier in question.

"Why would I have medical supplies? No-one told me to grab any."

"Because it's your job to carry medical supplies." The captain growled.

"No-one told me that either." Grif said.

"Remember when you had to carry medical supplies that one time?" Simmons asked. "Well now you have to do that all the time."

"That was three months ago and I'm finding this out now?" Grif asked.

"Yeah, it was just luck we didn't need them until now." Simmons said.

"Luck? If you haven't noticed, we don't have particularly good luck." Grif pointed out.

"That's because we don't have medical supplies." The captain said.

"Good one, sir." Simmons said.

"So there are no medical supplies..." Eagle said before they could continue.

"No." Grif said.

"Okay then." Eagle started to walk back towards the castle. "Just so you know, they always do that." She said to Zanian. "Honestly, I'm surprised they manage to do anything."

Zanian was staring at Eagle's face. She was, in the simplest terms, beautiful. _I can't wait until I become human again. Then again, maybe she's the kind of girl who's into animals. _Zanian thought.

"You know, you're surprisingly heavy for a wolf." Eagle commented. "Then again you are a bit bigger than most wolves."

* * *

After about ten minutes, Eagle arrived at the castle. "Was I going too fast?" She asked Zanian. He shook his head. "Doctor! Doctor!" She yelled out as she entered the castle. She had explained on the way that feigning distress tended to get things to happen faster.

A healer came running. "What's wrong?"

"This wolf is seriously injured." Eagle explained, acting completely casual.

"Oh, well I can help with that. If you would just follow me." The healer led Eagle to a large room where many beds were laid out in rows, the healing bay. "So how did he get injured?" The healer asked.

"He was being eaten by a ReDead." Eagle explained.

"Oh dear, that's no good. How long has it been?"

"About twelve minutes."

"And he hasn't bled out?" The healer asked.

_Now that you mention it, that does kinda hurt a bit, wait, I was just being eaten! _Zanian started to howl as he realised how much pain he was in.

"Oh I've seen this before, usually in humans though, they enter a semi-conscious state in which they don't realise they're in pain. Does he understand English?" The healer asked, not put off at all by the howling.

"Yes." Eagle said.

"Okay, breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth." The healer said, he kept on repeating those two steps.

_I'm in pain!_ Zanian mentally screamed, he then decided to do as he was being instructed. Breath in through the nose, out through the mouth. He started to calm down as the pain started to recede, he simply focused on the flow of air in and out of his lungs.

"Works every time." The healer smiled.

"Great, now fix the wound will you?" Eagle asked.

"Sure thing."

"I'm going to go to sleep now." Zanian said, but it just came out as a whimper.

* * *

Zanian awoke and yawned. "Please tell me it was just a bad dream." He said to himself as he opened his eyes. "Damn it." He sighed as he saw his paws. He then looked around the room where he rested. He was in a large basket with a warm blanket in the bottom. The walls and floor were made of stone, there was a wide bed with a chest at its foot, shelves lined the walls, upon which were books, trinkets and various shiny things. There were two windows, either side of the bed, through which Zanian could see the setting sun.

"How long have I been out?" He asked himself. Zanian slowly got out of his basket and shook his head, clearing away any remaining sleepiness. He looked down at his stomach and saw that it was wrapped in bandages. "Where am I?" He looked towards the door and saw that it was slightly open, enough for him to open it more to get out. "I should probably stay here." Thirteen seconds later, Zanian was walking through the corridors of the castle. "I smell food." He came to an intersection and sniffed the air. He looked one way "It's closer this way." Then the other way. "There's more this way." He started walking towards the closer food. He then saw Eagle carrying a plate of food.

"Wolf!" She quietly exclaimed. "Come on, back to my room, I'm not allowed to have wolves inside." She quickly led Zanian back to her room. "Remember, if you leave my room, one of two things will happen, either, you'll be killed on the spot, or I'll get in trouble and you'll be kicked out of the castle."

Neither appealed to Zanian too much.

"Now come here." Eagle sat on her bed. Zanian then noticed that she was wearing a semi-formal, blue dress. "High class dinner." Eagle said when she noticed Zanian staring. "Not really my thing, now come here." Eagle patted a spot on the bed next to her. Zanian walked over and hopped up onto the bed. Eagle offered him the plate of food, and he started eating immediately. "You've been out since yesterday morning." Eagle said.

"Yesterday morning?" Zanian coughed. _How far away is the Skull Kid then?_ He thought to himself.

"You probably have to use the bathroom." Eagle added. Once Zanian realised this, he had a hard time keeping it in. "Lights Out is in a few minutes so once everyone's in their rooms, I'll take you outside." Eagle said. "You're alright with ruining someone's garden right?"

Zanian nodded.

"Good. Now remember, be quiet, everyone may be in their rooms but there are still guards patrolling the castle grounds."

* * *

Within a few minutes, there was the chime of a bell followed by guards throughout the castle yelling "Lights out!"

Zanian's bladder practically exploded once Eagle got him outside. She directed him towards a garden and he dashed over before letting loose. While he marked an especially beautiful batch of flowers, he started to plan his escape; he felt bad about leaving Eagle behind but he had to get a move on. His thoughts were interrupted by a frantic cry of "Wolf!"

_I'm having a very bad week._ Zanian mentally sighed.

"Wolf!" Eagle whispered. Zanian barely heard her, even with his keen hearing, and ran over to her. "Let's get out of here." Eagle said before taking off with Zanian close behind.

The odd duo reached the high wall that prevented intruders from reaching Hyrule Castle from behind.

"Goddesses damn it..." Zanian sighed.

"Over here." Eagle whispered as she pulled a bush from the wall, behind the bush was a hole in the wall which Eagle quickly crawled through. Zanian followed before Eagle pulled the bush back in front of the hole. The pair was now in the forest behind Hyrule Castle. "We made it." Eagle sighed, relieved. She then looked around to find Zanian gone. "Damn..."

* * *

"I always thought that Teressa would be the only girl I run from..." Zanian commented to himself.

"You're not getting away that easily!" He heard Eagle's voice behind him.

"If I don't lose her now, I'll be stuck with her. If I do lose her, she might get lost..." Zanian grumbled. "Goddesses damn it..." He sighed as he slowed down.

"There you are!" Eagle exclaimed as she tackled Zanian.

"Necessary..." Zanian sighed as he got up.

"Oh don't whine like that, I didn't tackle you _that _hard." Eagle rolled her eyes as she dusted herself off.

"Let's just go, not that you can understand me..." Zanian sighed as he started walking away.

"So where we going?" Eagle asked as she hurried after Zanian.

"You have no idea what I'm saying so does it matter?" Zanian asked rhetorically.

"I wonder if I can learn wolf..." Eagle thought aloud.

"This is gonna be a long journey..." Zanian sighed.

_Disclaimer: same-ish as last time_

_(A/N) So yeah, I'm still workin on this one, couldn't figure out where to end this chapter, also, I'm not overly pleased with how this chapter turned out, the ReDead scene was my attempt at suspense crossed with amusement up til the first bite, I really tried to convey the feeling of being eaten, but seeing as how I have yet to be eaten, I don't think I did that well, and for anyone who got the reference, yes, I am ripping off characters from Red vs Blue, _

_~Ciao, Love and kisses, Dragonfly~_


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